Pensevor – Klothod

Epic doom aplenty! Hailing Farnborough, Pensevor really pack a punch and are wanting to prove it with their debut album Klothod.

Klothod opens with the truly monolithic slab of doom “Totem”. A song that does exactly as it says on the tin, this is a track that will surely have heads nodding in a trance like state. As will the succeeding track “Ritualistic Blood Sacrifice”. However, this song has something of a different time pattern, giving it a progressive-if slighty unassured-sound. The tempo change also sounds a little clunky.

“Sewerpuss” and “No Hope for Dying” carry on this sound, but to better effect. While they do have something of a progressive tone, they seem stronger overall and more coherent as stand-alone tracks. “No Hope for Dying” also has a gloriously creepy laugh at the beginning that sets a foreboding tone for the track.

There are some more experimental points on Klothod such as “Silvine” and “I Despair”, the latter being a mostly instrumental noise metal piece that builds to an almighty crescendo. Whereas “Silvine” is an altogether quieter affair, that lends a calmer tone to Pensevor’s sound as a whole.

Production wise Klothod is a little hit and miss. At times, there really needs to be more than just one guitar to carry the weight of the music, but overall Pensevor really nail the sound of a stripped down doom band that only care for the bare essentials. The vocals sound awesome the whole way through too.

The final two tracks on Klothod are power house tracks to end on. With the heavy riffs of “Dungeoness” there is also a quieter section that really hits hard when the main riff kicks in again. “Lowest of the Low” uses the best mix of quiet sections to loud riffs that leave a real impression of this album and Pensevor as a whole.

This is a pretty solid debut release. Not really for anyone who isn’t too well versed in the world of doom metal, but this should please hardcore fans of the genre. Does it have some problems? Yes. Would I recommend it? Hell yes.

Favourite Track: Dungeoness.

Klothod will be released on 6th May, 2016 via Hibernacula Records
Klothod tack listing:
1. Totem
2. Ritualistic Blood Sacrifice
3. Sewerpuss
4. No Hope for Dying
5. Silvine
6. I Despair
7. Dungeoness
8. Lowest of the Low

Pensevor are:
Ky Hopkins – Bass
Patrick Hopkins – Guitar
Mark Jennings – Vocals
Richard Fennings – Drums